The Grass Isn't Always Greener
by Truechinook
Summary: To save Harry, he is sent somewhere he never thought he'd see. However, what he always wanted may not be as great as he thought it'd be.
1. Prologue

Hullo fellow fanfic readers!  Decided to try my fic, have you?  I feel the need to warn you, this is my first Harry Potter fanfic, although not technically.  I actually have about a chapter or two written for ten different stories; this is just the first one I've decided to publish.  I found it easier to write – since it starts right after fifth year I'm free from having to come up with ideas about his past.  Well, sort of free.  Either way, I figure that it can't be any worse then my quality of Sailor Moon fanfiction.  And I've got beta-readers – they're doing their best to help.  

Oh, and I should mention, this does contain spoilers.  Therefore, unless you want the end ruined, anyone who hasn't gotten to the end of the fifth book should maybe put this fic aside for a bit.

Hmm, well, I suppose I should mention the ships in this fic.  There are none.  Lol!  Well, I might put one in, but I haven't decided yet.  And whom it's with could be an issue; since I've got a sequel all planed out and don't want to give anything away.  Although, my original plan went caput when I came up with the Revelation, because now either it has to go completely one way, or everyone will just know right away.  Unless, I introduce new characters…. Hmmm, that idea has promise…

Anyway, and here's a game to all of you.  There is going to be a huge Revelation (that's the word I want, I think).  I'll drop little hints here and there, but it'd be interesting to see who gets it.  There probably won't be any hints for a little while, at least not for the first few chapters.  And, just to make it fun, anybuddy who guesses right (and guesses all of it right, since one part most people in the chat rooms have figured out) will get a place in the fic as one of the characters (and as a nice character, unless you specify otherwise, I'm always looking for new Death Eaters;)).  The game hasn't started quite yet, I'll wait for a few chapters, and it'll run right until I write the Revelation down.  However, I may make Harry figure out a part of it sooner, so then everyone will have to guess the other part.   Haven't decided yet, I guess I'll just wait and see what my muse says.  But, sounds fun, huh?  

Right, right, almost forgot.  The DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Harry Potter.  I never will own Harry Potter.  Harry Potter will never be a part of my possessions.  J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter.  J.K. Rowling will always own Harry Potter.  Unless of course she takes part in a poker game and foolishly bets the rights to Harry Potter.  Someone, quick, ban gambling in the U.K.!  Lol!  Where was I?  Oh yes.  For those who didn't understand: Me no own Harry Potter.  I however, do own the idea and nobuddy can take that away from me, unless I foolishly bet it in a poker game…  I also own a character (well, sort of own, I suppose me and J.K. can share) that will appear soon enough.  Oh, and I own an adorable plush green frog, but that doesn't matter, does it?

By the way, I originally had this really wicked font for Dumbledore's letter, but fanfiction.net wouldn't upload it.  For anyone who wants to know, it was in Vivaldi.

Well, on with the story!

~*~*~*~*~

****

**The Grass Isn't Always Greener**

Harry was panicking.  Death Eaters had him enclosed in a circle, with only him and Voldemort standing in the center.  The circle was tight; there was no way he could escape.  Plus, Voldemort was standing, with a smile on his face, ready to kill him if he moved.

"Had enough?" Voldemort asked, traces of amusement in his voice.  Harry looked up at him from his position on the floor, trying to keep his eyes from betraying the pain that consumed his body.  He had just undergone a Cruciatus curse that lasted far too long, but he wouldn't beg.  He was a Gryffindor, and a Potter.  There was no way he'd beg for his own life.

"Foolish boy."  Voldemort said, his words tinged with annoyance.  He had hoped to hear Harry plead for mercy – that always made the final kill more rewarding.  Instead, the boy's eyes retained the look of steely resolve to stay strong.  Gryffindor's, in Voldemort's eyes, were far too arrogant.  They didn't know a hopeless cause when they saw it. 

Harry's screams filled the chamber, mixed with the malicious laughs of the Death Eaters, as Voldemort fired another Cruciatus curse.  

'Where are they?' Harry wondered, as he was left panting on the cold floor, the curse once again lifted for the time being.  Voldemort had captured him hours ago, when his Aunt Petunia had sent him out for groceries.  The members of the Order of the Phoenix would be furious when they found out, but shouldn't they have come for him? Shouldn't he have at least heard Voldemort dispatching Death Eaters to deal with them?  'Maybe they don't know yet,' Harry considered.  'That's  likely.'  His Aunt Petunia probably wouldn't bother owling anybody to say that he had disappeared until tomorrow, if she did at all.  She and the rest of the Dursleys had been terrified after what had happened at King's Cross Station at the end of June, especially after Moody's threat, so actually, they probably took off when they realized he wasn't coming back.

'Best put a plan together, Potter.' He thought, as he realized that Voldemort had begun circling him.   There was no chance for escape, but that didn't mean he was ready to surrender.  Vaguely, he heard Voldemort speaking to him, but he wasn't paying attention.  Instead, Harry's mind had drifted back to the beginning of the summer.

~*~_ Flashback _~*~

_Harry was shocked when he realized that it wasn't a fireball descending out of the night sky, but instead a bird.  A bird with plumage the colour of a burning fire, roaring away at its peak.  Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet phoenix.  Although what he was doing around Privet Drive Harry couldn't figure.  Actually, what he was doing was a bit obvious, especially when Harry noticed the package he was carrying.  The better question would have been 'why'?  Harry knew that Dumbledore did use the school owls, all the teachers did, since all were a brownish colour that camouflaged them easily.  Even Hedwig, Harry sometimes worried, was constantly in danger of attracting unwanted attention.  But the attention that Hedwig could attract was miniscule compared to the crowds of people the phoenix would draw.  Besides the fact the phoenixes were believed to be a myth, Fawkes would never be able to slip out of notice without someone thinking that the tree he was hiding in was on fire.  Whatever he could possibly be bringing must be of great importance.  _

_Fawkes gracefully flew through Harry's window, though Harry noticed that it had been a close call.  It reminded him a bit of the bright colored birds that had delivered him letters from Sirius during the summer before forth year.  Sirius.  The pain from his death was still raw, and thinking about him was often like pouring salt in a wound.  Although some had tried to help, there were some things that couldn't be healed.  At least not soon._

_The phoenix's greeting forced Harry out of his depressed thoughts, and he immediately reached for the package that Fawkes had presented.  After which he gave the bird a pat on the head before he flew off to Hedwig's water dish for a drink._

_As Harry began to open the package, he felt an odd sort of tingling, starting from where his fingers had touched the wrapping.  It wasn't painful, just bothersome, but it passed in a few seconds.  Harry paused and thought about it for a moment, before shrugging it off and deciding to think about it later._

_Two things fell out when Harry had the package opened – a necklace and a letter.  Harry immediately reached for the letter first, and felt the guilt and anger inside him begin to smoke and fume.  It was from Professor Dumbledore. Harry still felt a bit bad about last year; he hadn't meant to lose control like that, at least not in the Headmaster's office.  But after everything he had dealt with that year, the hurt, the loss, the feelings of stupidity, and, although he would never admit it to Snape, the knowledge that arrogance had finally got the better of him.  Although, he may have been able to keep himself under control for longer if he hadn't been so furious about all that had been kept from him 'for his own good'.  It was his life!  He should have been allowed to know what would happen to it!_

_Taking a deep breath, to calm himself once again, Harry slowly unfurled the letter.  He was greeted with Dumbledore's familiar script, and the Order seal at the top.  So it wasn't personal, it was strictly business.  Well, at least they had decided to include him this time._

 'Mr. Harry Potter

4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging, Surrey' it said at the top.

'Dear, Mr. Potter,

I do hope you and your family did not mind my sending Fawkes to deliver this parcel, but it was imperative that it wasn't intercepted, and he did seem most eager for the job.  However, I do offer my apologies if he has caused any problems.

The Order of the Phoenix has decided that it is necessary for you to have a sort of emergency protection, should you ever enter a situation where you will most certainly die and we cannot reach you in time.  Enclosed you will find a small pendent, which you are instructed to wear AT ALL TIMES.  Mr. Potter, you are to never take it off, no matter what the circumstance.  This bit of magic is very rare, and immensely powerful – it can get through any ward, bypass any spell.  If Voldemort were to lay his hands on it, it would be the end of us all.  However, it may one day be the only thing able to save you.

Keep it around your neck, preferably hidden under clothes, and if anyone is to ask, simply tell them that it is an ordinary pendant.  Do not let them know what it is.

This is a highly advanced portkey.  It will take you to somewhere that is hopefully safer then where you are, should it be activated.  To use it, simply grasp it in one of your hands and say "auxilium".  However, I must impress upon you, use this only in the most dire of circumstances.  Sadly, we are not sure where it will take you, only that you will be far away from where you are when you use it.  I hope you understand, Harry.  

If there is anything that you simply could not bare to live without, touch it with the sword pendent and say "venare".  If you ever activate the portkey, these things will come along as well.  Don't bring much, but I'd say that your trunk (containing your invisibility cloak at least) and that delightful owl of yours should be included.

Remember Harry, we may not be able to bring you back, but this could be the only way for you to stay alive.  Whatever you chose to bring will be all that you will have of this world.

Enclosed in this letter you will find another letter and a sheet of paper.  On it are names of people that you can give the letter to.  Those are the only ones who may see that letter, for they are the only people I would trust.  However, if you are given any indication that one of the people is a Death Eater, or any other untrustworthy being, I must ask that you stay away from them, and give the letter to another name.  And Harry, I want you to be very suspicious – we can only guess at what could be different.  So many things could have been changed, and some could be now very dangerous.  Constant vigilance Harry, constant vigilance.

One last thing, I wish to apologize.  For everything I waited to tell you, for everything I assumed you were too young to understand.  You must know Harry – I do not blame you for your actions at the end of last term.  For a fifteen-year-old boy, who has been unrightfully kept in the dark, your reaction was rather tame.  Truthfully, I had expected far worse.  We obviously underestimated your control, and we can definitely be sure that you inherited neither of your parents' temper, which I assure you is a good thing.  If you had, I would surly not have an office anymore.

Be careful Harry.  Stay inside your aunt and uncle's house, it is where you are safest.  

Try to have a good summer, Harry.  I look forward to seeing you at the start of term feast on the first of September.  

Sincerely, 

Albus Dumbledore

_Harry reached for the pendent after reading this.  It was an amazing design – a pure silver sword, much like Godric Gryffindor's, complete with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds decorating the hilt.  It wasn't very heavy, but it wouldn't be easy to forget it was there.  Following the instructions in the letter, Harry immediately unclasped the chain and put it around his neck.  It felt cool against his chest, and was easily hidden by his t-shirt, save the bit of chain showing at the top.  After this, Harry unfolded the piece of paper that the letter had mentioned, and set the second letter aside.  It wasn't too long a list, and as Harry noticed, contained many of the members of the Order.  Naturally, Albus Dumbledore was the first name on the list, followed by Minerva McGonagall.  But Harry gasped when he read the two names below them. _

James Potter 

Lily (Evens) Potter

_Those were his parents, but they were dead, weren't they?   Where was this portkey supposed to take him?_

~*~ _End Flashback _~*~

It had been weeks since Harry had read the letter, but he didn't think he would ever forget what it said.  He had, of course, piled all of his things in his trunk, and touched it and Hedwig with the pendant.  He didn't really understand, but figured better safe than sorry, so had been living out of his trunk and keeping Hedwig close by, only letting her roam around the neighborhood. 

Although parts of the letter had confused him greatly, he understood that the portkey was only to be used in a desperate situation.  Now, Harry felt, probably counted.  He could feel the coolness of the metal pressing against his chest, practically begging to be used.  Voldemort wouldn't wait much longer before killing him, for he just wasn't that patient.  Gritting his teeth against the extreme pain as he moved his arm to grab the necklace, Harry slowly reached to take hold of the pendent.

However, this action didn't go unnoticed by Voldemort, and he aimed a hard kick to Harry's ribs to stop him.

"Do you want to die so soon, Potter?" Voldemort hissed.  He knew Harry was of no danger to him; the constant curses had damaged the boy far too much to attempt anything harmful.  Still, he wasn't going to let the boy try anything new.  This was a particularly satisfying moment for him, and he wasn't going to let it be ruined.  Harry Potter, the bane of his existence, was going to die, with his wand in hand, knowing that he wasn't strong enough, and that Lord Voldemort was more powerful then him or his _precious_ Dumbledore.  After the news that Harry Potter was dead, and his mangled body was put out for all to see, the magical world would fall into a panic, and he could easily take over.  Dumbledore was the first on his list, and the old man wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight, he'd be far too depressed after the death of his prized pupil.  Yes, the world would acknowledge Lord Voldemort as their supreme ruler, and he could finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work.  

Harry gasped as the blow was aimed to his ribs.  He could hear the sounds of breaking bones, and intense pain swept his body yet again.  If Voldemort didn't kill him soon, the pain would finish him off instead.  He'd already been bashed up enough that he couldn't stand, and figured that at least one of his legs must have broken.  Blood covered his face, which Harry assumed was coming from a large cut at the top of his forehead.  He could barely see anymore, and the blood on the lens of his glasses was not very comforting.  This was it, a now or never thing.  He could see Voldemort raising his wand, apparently bored of just watching Harry in pain, and wanted to move onto the next step of his plan.

With the last bit of strength he could muster, Harry swung his hand up to his neck, grabbed the tiny sword, and practically screamed "auxilium".  He felt the familiar tug of the portkey, but it was a bit different this time, although he was too weak to figure out why.  The last thing Harry saw before he passed out was a binding flash of light, and Voldemort snake-like red eyes filled with confusion and anger. 

~*~*~*~*~

So, what do we think???  Bad?  Good?  Please, pretty please, comment.  Suggestions are appreciated, although I do have most of the next few chapters already written.  And if you want, you can start guessing the Revelation now, although, I haven't given out any clues yet.  Well, it's up to you. 

Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter up in a week, although I'm about to start exams, so I don't have very much writing time.  However I will do my best.  

Billions of thanks to Chels and Jacquie, my loyal Beta-readers.  They do there best to turn what I give them into something readable.  Kudos to them!

Till next time^.^


	2. Chapter 1

Alright, well, I've tried to edit this chapter, I've tried to write more, and basically run out of ideas for this chapter.  However, (thank you Humber) I put my physics class to good use and am creating an outline for the rest of the story.  Right now, I'm up to chapter 8 and the big stuff is only starting to happen.  Well, anyway, I'm letting my betas try to do their best to fix this chapter, and am incredibly sorry that it was so late getting out.  Try balancing Law, Chemistry, Physics, and an introduction to anthropology, psychology, and sociology in one semester; you'll understand how hard it is to find time to write.  It'll be nice though – I've got two major projects due soon, then I get a bit of a breather.  Hmm, I believe I am now babbling.  Well, I suppose I should just let you all read.  Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers – responses are at the end.

DISCLAIMER – If you recognize it, it's not mine.  Promise – will think of something more creative next time, just really want to get this out asap.

Enjoy!!!

~*~*~*~*~

**The Grass Isn't Always Greener: Chapter 1**

Bright light.

A bright white light.

A bright white light so bright that it seemed like it was shining directly into his eyes.

And silence.

Pure and utter silence.

Well, save the sound of his own ragged breathing. 

That was all Harry Potter was really aware of.  His body felt like lead, his head like he had been held under water too long.  His throat burned, and his skin prickled as it felt contact with something.  Something soft, but crisp.

_Sheets._  His mind said.  _It's the linens in the hospital wing._

Slowly, his mind was becoming less and less muddled, and then it hit him.

Voldemort.

The last thing Harry remembered was Voldemort.  Wanting him to beg, waiting to kill him.  Harry did something.  Something unexpected.

_The pendant!_  Harry felt his pulse quickening as he tried to sense if it was there.  He tried to lift his arm, but it felt too heavy.  He could feel the beads of sweat on his forehead as he vainly attempted to move, to touch it.  After a few minutes though, exhaustion was claiming him.  It wasn't until now that he noticed the familiar coolness on his chest.  It was there; they hadn't taken it.  It was strange how comforting the cool metal seemed.  After all, it was just a necklace, but to him it was like a lifeline.  

"I just … understand!" 

Harry's mind snapped to attention.  He could just barely hear voices.  They couldn't be very close, although he knew the fact that he was only just barely conscious could be affecting his hearing.

"… McGonagall … make sure he … threat."  That was a different voice.  Both were women.  The latter sounded rather familiar, and the first vaguely, but he couldn't place them.

"… letting him … here?  This is … school.  … children … here.  Jimmy …."

"…is fine.  …owl … assured … James Potter …common …"  _James Potter? _ Harry thought.  This was all very confusing.  _James Potter was my father, and he is dead.  Isn't he?  Where am I?_

"He could … Death eater… looks … like him.  Maybe … trap?"  Were they talking about him?

"Found … dead… no reason …"

"Could … omen…Voldemort …to join …"

"…too much…DNA, physical appearance…."

"…more security…dangerous …" 

"…Potter! …child…!"

They were so loud.  Originally the women were trying to be quiet, but now they were almost screaming at each other.  Harry wished he could hear all of what they were saying, but he still was not fully conscious.  And another thing, he felt like he was in the hospital wing, but yet, something was different.  He couldn't put his finger on it though, it still had the same smell of absolute cleanliness, and the linens felt the same, but something was very different.  Besides all that, how did he end up here in the first place? Did the Portkey take him to Hogwarts?  There had been something different about it though; it wasn't like the normal Portkeys.  It had made him feel like he was falling, and being pulled apart at the same time.  Yet, none of it had hurt.  Or maybe he had been too pained to notice.  But Harry was too tired for the amount of strenuous thinking required to discover what had happened; he just wanted to sleep.  However, the conversation between the two woman persisted, and he felt it was just to tempting to miss out on.  

"I want to see him."  _That voice was familiar_, Harry thought.  _It's Professor McGonagall_.  He also figured that he must be getting a tiny bit better, that was the first full sentence he had heard yet.  A door opened, and there was the sounded of muffled arguing, which dulled his hopes a bit, followed by a door creaking open, and footsteps walking across the floor.  They halted nearby.  _Probably near the bed,_ Harry figured.

"He looks identical to Jimmy."  The first woman said.  The voice was still vaguely familiar, like he'd heard it a long time ago.  "Poppy ran tests … DNA is identical.  Even Polyjuice … do that." He was drifting again.  Harry felt so tired, it had taken to much effort to stay conscious and hear parts of what was being said.  

The last thing Harry heard before letting exhaustion claim him again was "…under tight security…", but he was far too tired to bother to figure out what was meant.  Harry was asleep before the new spells being placed around him nor ever felt the wards being set up.

~*~*~*~*~

The first thing Harry heard when he awoke was a very loud, annoying alarm.  He slowly opened his eyes, to try and see what had caused that noise.  He was greeted once more with a very bright light, flooding the room he was in.  However, he couldn't tell where it was coming from, for he was surrounded completely by white.  Actually, he couldn't see very well at all, everything was blurry without his glasses (which he realized were not on his head), but it looked a bit like the curtains that surround beds in the Hospital Wing.  Yes, that was definitely where he was, he just couldn't figure out why.  He would have given this more thought, but he heard the sound of feet walking across the floor to his bed, indicating someone was arriving.  Sure enough, seconds later, the curtain was flung open, and someone appeared.  She looked a bit like Madame Pomfrey, but he couldn't see clear enough to be sure.

"Well, you've given us quite a fright." Madame Pomfrey said, her voice had confirmed it was she.

"I'm sorry." Harry said quietly, missing the shocked looked on the woman's face.  She hadn't been expecting an apology, instead a sarcastic remark of some sort.  This boy left her puzzled; that was for sure.

"I don't suppose you will tell me your name." She said, surprising Harry.  _Shouldn't she know?_  Harry thought.  _What's going on here?_

"Harry." He answered, his voice still quiet.  Harry desperately wanted water, his throat felt so stiff and sore.  "Harry Potter."

Madame Pomfrey gasped, and Harry heard her take a step back.  Obviously that wasn't an answer she was expecting.  Harry wanted to ask what was wrong, but he still felt so tired.  

"I'll be right back."  He heard Madame Pomfrey say, before retreating behind the curtain.  

"Wait." Harry said, hoping to catch her.  But his voice was so soft, almost a whisper.  "My glasses." He finished, but the footsteps had already left the room.  He was alone, his body aching, and everyone was acting so odd.  Unknown to anyone, a single tear ran down Harry's check, splashing silently onto the pillow.  

They always left him alone when they didn't need him.

~*~*~*~*~

What do we think?  Good?  Bad?  Sleep-inducing?  I've already begun working on the next chapter, so I hope I can get it out sooner.  And, I think it will be a bit better, especially the first part.

Now, to all my reviewers, I want to say thank you.  It's a really nice feeling to know that there are people out there actually reading my work.  To all those who didn't review, I encourage you to start.  If you leave your email address, or have the email address on your ff.net profile, I'll send you notices when new chapters are updated.  If you would like to not receive the notices, just tell me in your review^.^

Thank you to~

PrincessSerenaXavior – Glad to see you like it.  By chance, are you interested in Sailor Moon and/or X-men (in case you aren't, I'm just guessing because Princess Serena and Xavior are main characters)?  Hope you liked this chapter! Remus Is Mine – Much thanks for reviewing and being my beta-reader.  And believe me, you'll be beta-reading all my chapters (and additional stories, including, yes the Harry/Hermione (hey – I read you're R/Hr, so no complaints (well, not too many;))) 

_Susieq_, _baseballkid22, babyjayy_,and _ButterflyKisses _– Pleased you enjoy it.  If you leave you're email address next time, I can email you update notices.

_ Silvercrystal77_ – Are you a Sailor Moon fan too?  Again, I got that from the Silver Crystal part (I'm a Sailor Moon fan – can you tell?  Much prefer the Japanese version though).  You probably know by now, or at least have a hunch, on where this story is going.  However, just wait till the revelation is, well, revealed.  Me and a friend of mine came up with it, and when you think about it, it could very well be true.  Well, now I'm just babbling (I have a tendency to do that).

_charmedily_ – Hmm, well you're sort of correct there, but only on one part.  However, that isn't the Revelation – it'll be quite a bit bigger then that.  Keep guessin though!

_Jaded Angel8_ – Thanks for the correction, I never even noticed that (I'm not the best speller and rely heavy on my spell check).  Glad you're enjoying it so far!

_Tropic_ – I hope I'll be able to update more frequently in the future, but well, you know how it is.  Glad

And, of course, thank you to my other beta, Chels, who didn't get a chance to beta this chapter because of a heavy workload, but was rather supportive and I hope she'll be able to help with the next chapter.  Jax (Remus Is Mine) has her work cut out for her with this (well, at least in my opinion, she said it really wasn't that bad).  Will try to send you both the next chapter much sooner.

See you all (and hopefully some new readers) next time^.^!


	3. Chapter 2

All right, first let me say I'm sorry bout the wait.  Then let me say I hope that it's worth it (at least a lil bit).  Originally, this chapter was supposed to be two separate ones, but I chose to combine them as a bit of an apology.  I hadn't planned on releasing the fic this late, but first I had a lot of school work to get caught up on and finished, then I started a new job, and then I got sick (still recovering, which is why I got the chance to post today).  I have chapter 3 already written and ready to be beta-ed, and so it shouldn't be nearly as long a wait this time.  As well, you should all be happy about this – I have an outline up to chapter 16, and at least by chapter 10, the chapters are going to start getting much longer (lot more scheduled to happen).

Also, in regards to the bit of the contest to guess the Revelation, I did a bit of switching.  The part that I said a lot of people had figured out at least part of was originally going to be released first, and the next part later.  Instead, the second part will come out first, and the first part will come out with the prophecy.  Is it just me, or is that a bit confusing?  Oh well, you can probably get the gist of it.

Oh, and you will notice in just a minute – I've started adding song lyrics.  With the help of my beta Jax (Chels, you're going to get involved in this too, pretty please), we've been going through our extensive collections of lyrics and finding those that apply to the chapter.  As a result, you'll probably see a lot of Meatloaf (Jax), Counting Crows (me), and hopefully Backstreet Boys (Chels), although there are plenty of other lyrics up for consideration for those of you who don't like those artists.  If you have a song where you think one of the lyrics of it could be used in the story, include the title and artist in your review and I'd be happy to check it out.

Anywayz, I'll stop babbling so that you can get on with the fic.  Hope you like it; my betas did a great job of helping fix the tricky bits. 

Disclaimer: Why do you seem to think I own any of it?  Do you honestly think I'd be writing fanfiction if I owned Harry Potter?  You do?  Wow, never thought I'd see the day…  Well, just so that you can put the doubts aside, Harry Potter and anything that you recognize here belongs to the talented J.K. Rowling (who is as bad with releasing her books *cough Order of the Phoenix cough* as I am with updating).  All I own is the story line, and we share a character that will be briefly mentioned here, but will be much more involved in the following chapters.  Oh, and I also don't own the lyrics used, they belong to Meatloaf and the guy who wrote them (Jim something or other *dodges glare shot by Jax*).

Enjoy^.^

~*~*~*~*~

The Grass Isn't Always Greener:

Chapter 2

_"And though the nightmares should be over  
Some of the terrors are still intact  
I'll hear that ugly coarse and violent voice  
And then he grabs me from behind and then he pulls me back"_  
- "Objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are" – Meatloaf

~*~*~*~*~

He was surrounded by nothing but a white fog, so dense Harry could not see more then two feet in front of him.  Then there was the cold! It was unbearable and seeped into his skin, freezing Harry to his bones.  He felt weary, as though he had just endured a challenge too strong, yet he was much more exhausted than if he had finished just a physical challenge.  Harry had only felt like this once before, like he was physically, mentally, _and_ spiritually drained, but he was too exhausted to think of when.

In fact, this whole place seemed familiar, but not in a good way.  There was anguish and despair; a thousand lost hopes weaved into the air, and as he stood those feelings seemed to grow stronger.

"Harry."

The voice was faint, as if coming from a far off place, but the stillness of the area permitted Harry to hear it. 

"Is there anyone out there?"  Harry called, desperately hoping for an answer, a sign that he was not alone.  "Can anyone hear me?"

"You put me here." The voice said again, sorrow and resentment tainting every syllable.  Harry collapsed to his knees – he knew that voice, he begged to hear it again every night.  But not like this.  Never like this.  "You force me to live with these wretched souls.  It's all you fault."

"No." Harry whispered to himself, tears beginning to form.  "It's not real.  It's just a dream, it's not real."

"How could you?  Why do you never listen?  Your impulsiveness cost me everything!  Cost me my life!"  The voice was filled with anger, hate and bitterness.

"I'm sorry!"  Harry screamed out, salty tears making paths down his cheeks, his heart twisting at every word his godfather uttered.  "I'm sorry Sirius!  I didn't mean to!  I only wanted to help!"

"You always have to be the hero don't you?"   Another voice, which Harry instantly recognized to be Hermione's, was heard, alongside the calls of "It's all your fault" from Sirius.  His stomach dropped at her angry charge.  "You never listen to anyone but yourself!"

"Hermione, I'm sorry!"  Harry cried out.  "I promise, I will listen to you!"

"No you won't!"  Ron's voice accused, as Hermione's voice joined Sirius' calls.  "You need the glory, you want the fame!  You love being the hero because then everyone adores you, don't you?"

"No, please!  I don't! I don't want the fame, I don't want any of it!"  Harry's voice begged them to stop.  He couldn't take it; they were all turning against him.  Ron's voice went alongside Sirius' and Hermione's as additional voices added to the accusations.

"Even as a baby you wanted attention!  Always trying to do everything early so that people would praise you!"  

"And you had to be powerful, didn't you?  Had to be the one to be able to defeat Voldemort?  Because of you we're dead, but at least you got attention you wanted!"

"Mum?"  Harry whispered, panicked.  "Dad?"  No, this wasn't fair.  This wasn't right.  "I didn't mean to!  I don't want the attention!  Please, stop!  Please!"

"It's all your fault!"  The voices of Sirius, Hermione, Ron, Lily, and James all began to blend, chanting accusingly.  "Everything is all your fault!"

The cold air wrapped around Harry, increasing his tears and silencing his pleas of forgiveness.  He knew it was true – everything _was_ his fault.  It was because of him that Sirius and his Mum and Dad were dead, because of him that Ron and Hermione would always be in danger.

"It is all my fault," Harry whispered, audible only to himself.  "I'm sorry!  So sorry."  And with that, he collapsed into the fog.

~*~*~*~*~

"Wake up boy!"  Harry could hear a woman calling for him, but his eyes just wouldn't open.  He was so tired, but it was his own fault.  Everything was…

"Enervate!"  Harry felt energy shoot through his body, jolting his thoughts from his mind, and replacing them with more important ones.  It took a minute for his memories of the previous day to return, but they came back in full force, especially when he opened his eyes and was forced to take in the bright whiteness of the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey was standing over his bed, pointing her wand directly at him.  At least, he thought she was – the blindness was rather frightening.  Still, it did not erase the memories he held within him, nor the guilt that lay within his heart.

"Oh no." Harry said, shutting his eyes and trying to turn over.  He however, immediately halted his movements when the tendrils of pain shot through him.  His face conformed into a wince, and he lay back on his back.

"I could have told you not to move."  Madame Pomfrey spoke in her typical patronizing tone, yet it did not bother Harry, for it was familiar enough to comfort him.  "You were thrashing around a few moments ago.  All that activity has over exerted your muscles."

Harry let his head sink further into his pillow.  He wanted to shut out the world; he needed a sound sleep.  Unfortunately for him, sleep never achieved just what he needed.

A look of sympathy brushed over the nurse's face, for she could so easily place this appearance of hurt and pain onto the face of one of her favorite students.  While they still knew too little about this boy, his haunted eyes were too much for her, and she desperately desired to see them peacefully shut for as long as possible.

"I have some dreamless sleep potion I could offer you," she finally managed to suggest.  "Would you like me to fetch it?"

_Anything to make the dreams go away._  Harry knew the thought was wrong – the guilt was his to bear, for he had caused their pain.  Yet still, the prospect of a peaceful night, provided Voldemort kept his distance, was too sweet a prospect to pass up.

"Yes, please."  Harry whispered, his hope and sadness conveyed weaving into his voice.

The old nurse nearly cried – even the voice was too similar for her liking.  With a last look at the tortured boy, she disappeared into the storeroom to collect the ounce of salvation that she could offer the child.

~*~*~*~*~

"I tell you, the boy is not a spy!"  Pomfrey was nearly seething with anger.  She knew that they had a right to be suspicious about this child, but she had seen her fair share of spies in her day.  This boy had no similarity to any of them – being actually unconscious for the long period of time was a major tip off – a real spy would have risen much sooner.  Also, it just did not make sense – why would Voldemort send a boy who looked so similar to their own, yet have a different name?  Plus, those dreams, the ones where he would silently scream and thrash about – something was just not right.

"Poppy, I tell you, it is simply a clever disguise.  Voldemort wants to weaken us, maybe even distract us.  We cannot be fooled by an air of innocence."  Professor Minerva McGonagall was not one to have her opinions easily swayed.  She too had seen her fair share of spies in this war, ones that had ended up causing the death or sorrow of countless others.  While it was unusual, she did not believe Voldemort was above physical torturing a child in order to gain access to the castle.

"Listen," Pomfrey responded, moving towards her office door.  "There is something about this boy that just does not fit the profile.  I do not know where he is from, or what he is doing here – I cannot even imagine a responsible and believable answer to that, but I think that we should at least give him the benefit of the doubt."  She let McGonagall ponder this idea for a few moments before continuing. "Come with me to see him, talk with the boy for a bit.  Then at least, you can make an acute observation."

McGonagall would have protested, for she did have other things that should be done, yet the curiosity about this boy was slowly consuming her.  Besides, with her there, any slip-ups he made would be quickly noted.

With a sigh of fake boredom, McGonagall accepted Pomfrey's invitation out of the office, and headed in a beeline for the curtained bed.

~*~*~*~*~

It wasn't long before Madame Pomfrey returned, this time accompanied by someone else.  Harry had easily heard the second set of footprints entering the room, and listened closely as they made their way over to his bed.  The curtains were swept aside as Madame Pomfrey and a blurry shape that resembled Professor McGonagall moved to stand beside his bed.

"What's your name?"  The new woman asked roughly.  Her voice sounded just like McGonagall's, except that it seemed older, and more tired.  

"Harry Potter." Harry answered again.  He couldn't understand why they kept asking what his name was; after all they saw him at least once a week during the school year.  "Please, my glasses?"  He asked as an afterthought.  His eyes were starting to hurt from straining to see, and he could feel the beginnings of a headache.

After only a few impatient seconds, Harry felt the heaviness of his glasses being rested on his face.  He blinked a few times, letting the room come into focus.  This was definitely the Hospital Wing – he'd been behind the curtains of a bed enough to know.  However, seeing the two women made him gasp.  

It was definitely Madame Pomfrey on his left, but she seemed older.  Her eyes looked very tired, with dark circles underneath.  However, Professor McGonagall was worse.  Her hair was far grayer, and stress practically radiated off of her.  Her eyes were furious, confused, and sad all at the same time, and there was even a bit of pity in them.  Almost everything about this woman was different from the Professor McGonagall he knew.  What had happened since he'd last seen them?

"There is no such person as Harry Potter."  McGonagall finally said, her voice tense.  This snapped Harry out of his thoughts, and he stared in disbelief at his Professor and Pomfrey.

"What are you talking about?"  Harry demanded.  "You both know me, how could you forget?  Madame Pomfrey, I'm in here every other week during the school year.  You're always criticizing me for all the dumb things I keep doing to get hurt.  You said last year that you were thinking about giving me my own bed since I'm in here so much."  Harry stopped to catch his breath.  He wished he had something to drink, his throat hurt so badly.  "And Professor, you're my Head of House.  Plus my Transfiguration teacher.  You see me practically every day when we're at school.  Did a Death Eater obliviate you both or something?  It's hasn't even been two months, you couldn't have forgotten me just yet."

"I can assure you," McGonagall said tensely.  "That I have never met a Harry Potter.  Now, I will ask you again, who are you?  Did the Dark Lord send you?  Do you have a purpose?"

"I am Harry Potter."  Harry said again, wanting to scream, but it just came out as a rasping sound.  His throat hurt worse.  "And of course Voldemort wouldn't send me, at least not alive.  You know that."

Both women just stared at him.  The words of the letter Dumbledore had sent came flooding back.  "This is a highly advanced portkey.  It will take you to somewhere that is hopefully safer then where you are….  Sadly, we are not sure where it will take you, only that you will be far away from where you are… we may not be able to bring you back, but this could be the only way for you to stay alive.  Whatever you chose to bring will be all that you will have of this world…" Where it had taken him? He definitely wasn't in the same world as before.  He vaguely remembered reading about portals to other dimensions when he was younger, but he had never heard them mentioned in the wizarding world.  Maybe that had been what happened.  Surely, that would explain why no one knew him.  He then remembered the letter he had been given.  Dumbledore had said to give it to one of the names on the list after he used the portkey.  Did it explain what had happened?

"Um, may I speak to Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said, causing both women to look at him with disbelief.

"Albus Dumbledore is dead."  Madame Pomfrey said, looking at Harry curiously.

He was shocked at these words.  How could Dumbledore be dead?  Had the world gone mad?  It was impossible; he couldn't die.  But, then again, Harry had thought Sirius couldn't die either, and look what had happened.  

"Then, Professor McGonagall, you're name was the next on the list."  Harry said quietly, his voice betraying his sadness.  Still, he wasn't going to cry.  He was strong, a fighter.  Fighters don't cry!  At least, not when other people were around.  "Could you bring me my trunk?"

McGonagall still hadn't taken her eyes off of him, and so Madame Pomfrey summoned his trunk.  

"Wait!" McGonagall commanded, just as his trunk had levitated into the room.  "How did you know your trunk was even here?  You were unconscious when we found you."

"A part of the spell."  Harry said, his hand fingering the sword pendant.  "Hedwig, my owl, should be here to."  Madame Pomfrey nodded, and Harry relaxed a bit.  At least his owl was here.  Despite some of the precious items held by the trunk, he loved Hedwig above them all.

Harry slowly slid out of bed, his body protesting the whole way.  He still hurt, and obviously wasn't ready to move.  He was on his knees next to the trunk before he realized what was missing.

"My wand?"  Harry asked looking at both the women in turn.  "Do either of you have it?"

"Do we look that thoughtless?"  McGonagall asked, her eyes staring straight into his.  "If you are any sort of a threat, giving you a wand, especially your wand would be a truly stupid move on our parts."

"I just need it to open the trunk.  There's a letter I need to give you.  Professor Dumbledore said to give it to you, if I couldn't give it to him."  Both women continued to stare at him with disbelief.  "Alright then," he finally said, "could one of you just touch the lock on the trunk, and say 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good'". 

Obviously, McGonagall's curiosity got the better of her, because she reached down and did exactly what Harry had asked.  It was the locking spell that Harry had put on the trunk at the end of last year – he didn't want to risk one of Voldemort's minions getting into it and taking something important, like the cloak or map.  

The lock clicked open, and McGonagall stepped back, pointing her wand at Harry.  He understood what this meant – no funny business.  Slowly, he opened the lid, and withdrew his copy of Quidditch Through The Ages.  The letter lay inside the book, and as soon as he found the familiar envelope, he handed to McGonagall. She took it cautiously, almost like she expected it to explode at any second.  Madame Pomfrey's wand was now on him, since McGonagall was busy with the letter, although she wasn't paying as much attention to him.  Apparently, she understood that given his current state, walking would be an accomplishment.

McGonagall muttered a few spells on the envelope, and it seemed that she liked, although was surprised, at the results.  As she read through the letter enclosed, her eyes grew wide in disbelief, and her mouth went from its firm line to a surprised 'O'. 

"Poppy," McGonagall said suddenly, folding up the letter and placing it in one of her robe pockets.  "Please set up the wards again.  Then, could you call Lily, and both wait for me in your office.  I need to go find someone."

Harry hadn't even heard all of what McGonagall had said, for he had blanked after she said 'Lily'.  Surely, McGonagall didn't mean his mother?  She was dead.  Although, if this really was some sort of alternate universe, then it's quite possible that she was alive.  Harry's heart jumped, and felt happiness and excitement spread through his body, a feeling he hadn't felt in quite a while.  If his mother was alive, then maybe his father was too!  And Sirius!  He might have never even been sent to Azkaban!  He could talk to him again, he could finally talk to all of them, and see them happy and smiling like they had been in his pictures.  Maybe he had brothers and sisters, and cousins.  Not like Dudley, of course, but nice cousins, ones he could pal around with and talk.  Sirius always said that he and James had been as close as brothers, all the Marauders had, so surely any of their children would be a cousin to him.

"Alright," Madame Pomfrey said, breaking through his happy and dazed state.  "Back to bed you.  I don't know what's happened to you, but whatever it was nearly killed you.  It's taken enough work to get you this far, and I'm not planning on redoing any of it."    He let himself be led back to the bed, and tucked in again.  Although him appeared calm on the outside, he was jumping up and down like a five-year-old on the inside.

Still, the exhaustion in his body was stronger then his hopes, and he was soon forced to succumb to a fitful state of sleep once again.

~*~*~*~*~

Harry was asleep while the same women that had gathered at his beside held a meeting in Madame Pomfrey's office.  Except this time, they were joined by another young woman and a young man.  Well, maybe not that young, but younger than the older two women, although they hardly looked it.

"He's obviously a trick by Voldemort!"  Lily cried, proving to any outside observer that this was not a calm and thoughtful meeting.

"The letter…" McGonagall said, waving the piece of parchment in the air.

"I know, I know."  Lily said, cutting her off.  "I tested it myself, Minerva.  There is no doubt in my mind that it was written by Albus.  But that doesn't prove who he is!"

"I agree with Lily." The man said.  Remus Lupin, like Lily, had seen what Voldemort could do when he wanted to destroy someone, either entirely or just their sprit.  He had seen James's body, bloody and battered, just…  "It is a theory, the ability to travel across dimensions, but it would be hard to do, that's for sure.  However, as Lily said, it was written by Albus Dumbledore, and within the last few months.  But, we cannot abandon the idea that this child could be one of Voldemort's. It's entirely possible that someone did come here from another reality, sent by Dumbledore, but Voldemort got to him first.  He could have easily replaced the children, and sent us one controlled by the Imperious curse."

"Or one that's a very good liar."  Lily muttered.

"I still don't believe that he could have been sent by Voldemort."  Madame Pomfrey said.

"But Poppy…"

"No Lily.  That child's scans were extraordinary.  His DNA is an exact match, and there is no spell, charm, or potion that can achieve that.  Albus looked for years to make sure that this could not be done by Voldemort.  Not even the darkest of all magics could create something to this effect – there always was the tiniest scrap of who the person or thing was before.  Besides, what he has endured – it should have killed him.  If Voldemort wanted to plant a spy or assassin, he wouldn't have risked it so much, and would have informed it better.  Or else he would have been dead, not barely alive.  I agree with Minerva, we should trust what Dumbledore said."

"I even looked through his trunk."  Minerva said, placing a few objects on the table.  "There were no weapons in it at all, and Voldemort had to have known we'd take the wand.  Look at these."  She held up a slivery cloth and passed it to Lily and Remus.  "This is an invisibility cloak.  James's invisibility cloak.  I looked – the initials are there.  I know he specifically avoided telling people that he had initialed it for the purpose of keeping it from being copied.  And look at this photo album!  Look at the photograph!"  She lay the leather bound book on the table and opened it to a picture, one of Harry's favorites.  It was a picture of him, when he was just over a year old, sitting on the rug, with his parents next to him.  It didn't look like it had been posed for, not at least like some of his other photos.  His father was lying on his stomach, eye level with Harry, and his mother was sitting behind them, alternately giving James a kiss on the cheek and Harry one on the head every so often.  There was a fire burning behind them, and every time he looked at it he could almost feel the love and comfort that had been in that room.  Harry had asked Remus once when it had been taken, and, his eyes misting a bit, guessed it would have been sometime in October.  October of 1981, making it the last picture of his parents before their death.   But the group sitting in the office didn't know that.

"That's James."  Remus said, his voice raspy, as he picked up the album for a closer look.  

"The book is full of pictures like that."  McGonagall continued, a few tiny tears appearing in her eyes.  "Voldemort wouldn't go to the trouble of creating those.  It would have made us happy.  He doesn't want us to see James laughing and smiling.  He wouldn't want us to know of anything with us that could have been happy that year.  What we went through, that's what he had wanted…"

McGonagall trailed off, while the other members of the room nodded.  Lily silently moved over to the window in the office, and looked out in the hospital wing.  She could see the boy in his bed from here; all the curtains were charmed to be see-through from the office.  He looked so hurt, so innocent.  Maybe what they suspected wasn't true.  Maybe he really was what he said he was.

"What else was in the trunk?"  Lily asked silently.

"A fair amount of parchment."  McGonagall replied.  "As well as quills and ink.  A full set of schoolbooks from years one through five, the Hogwarts uniform and other clothes." An expression of disgust spread over her face when she said that, as if she hadn't particularly liked the state of the 'other clothes'.  "A broomstick, and a large sack of money, both muggle and magical."

"The muggle money proves it." Lupin said, setting down the album.  "Voldemort would never send someone to us with muggle money, it looks too much out of place.    Most wizards and witches have never touched a pence, and Voldemort surely wouldn't allow it.   He is too anti-muggle to send someone to get some of their money."

"So then we will trust him?"  Lily asked, her voice tinged with hope.  If this child was who he said he was, then he would technically be her son.  And, although she had never said so, Lily had always wished she had another child.  Mind you, that wish had mostly been when Jimmy was younger, but that didn't mean it hadn't died.

"I say we watch him."  McGonagall said, moving beside Lily and placing a hand on her shoulder.  "Term doesn't started for a while, and so we have a few weeks before the rest of the students arrive.  If anything indicates that he's a threat, we'll take action.  Otherwise, we have some proof that he is who he says he is, and so we will treat him as such.  I'll draw up the papers, and he will join Hogwarts in the fall as a new student.  Sixth year, obviously, judging by his books."

Lily only nodded.  She desperately wanted to fully believe that this was her son, but knew she had to stay cautious.  She couldn't risk Jimmy's safety by falling into a trap.  Still, if he really didn't pose a threat…

Stop it.  Lily's thoughts halted that train.  She knew that she should not think like that – it would present too great a risk.  While she did not have to be paranoid of the boy, she could not go about totally believing that this boy represented a second destiny of her own son until it was definite.  Still, she could get to know him, let him gain her trust.  After the disbelief that had presented him with the last few days, they owed him at least that much.

~*~*~*~*~

So, what do you think?  Worth it?  Good, but wish it could have been up sooner?  (I think I'm gonna at least get a lot of 'could have been up sooner').  Well, post your review and let me see what you have to say.  And remember, all flamers will be returned to sender.

Now, for the thank yous:

Thank you to  

PrincessSerenaXavior

girlknight

susieq (I know, quite mean – I'm one of those odd people that like writing cliffies.  Believe me, there's a big one coming up (unless I combine it with the following chapter, which I might do just to be nice))

penny

Jaded Angel8

TheSilverLady

minty 

Silvercrystal77

Remus Is Mine (many thanks for beta-ing)

aroar11

Ash of Mine

Sykoticstalker27 (sorry I left you hanging)

Chels (many thanks for beta-ing)

boogalaga

volleypickle16

Usakura (Sailor Moon and/or Cardcaptor Sakura fan?)

Wow, 16 reviews!  A girl could get used to this….  Anywayz, sorry to all for the wait and I hope this chapter met you length approval^.^  A last thank you to Jax and Chels for beta-ing (the next chap will be in your inboxes soon!), and I look forward to hearing form all of you.  Just a reminder – for email notifications of updates, either leave your email address or just be signed into ff.net and have your email there.  If you don't want to receive notifications, just make the note in your review and I'll take you off the list.

See you next time!


	4. Chapter 3

Alrighty, let me just start off by saying that I'm terribly sorry for the long wait. However, my schoolwork tends to take precedence over my writing, so I was forced to postpone when my law teacher assigned the term paper and final project. I know I said that this chapter was going to be up sooner because it was already written, but then I looked it over and decided it was just plain dull. Also, J.K. said something – I won't say what – that has now made my story officially AU (that got me upset for a few days, till I realized that I already knew this would be AU, so no harm down). Regardless, I present you with this chapter, and chapter four as an apology. Enjoy! My final thoughts and thank yous are at the bottom of chapter four.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, nada, zilch, nil (at least in regards to Harry Potter) except this plot. However, I would gladly trade J.K. Rowling this plot for hers (then I can make sure that Harry and Hermione do end up together laughs maliciously).

* * *

The Grass Isn't Always Greener

Chapter 3

_"But I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell_

_I know right now you can't tell_

_But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see_

_A different side of me"_

- "Unwell" – Matchbox 20

* * *

"Where were you born?"

"I don't know."

"Who were your grandparents?"

"I don't know."

"Did James Potter have any siblings?"

"I don't know."

"Who was Lily Potter's best friend?"

"I don't know."

Madame Pomfrey had by now become rather exasperated, as this sort of questioning with these sort of answers had been going on for nearly a half-hour. She could understand if the child did not know the answers to a few of the questions, but to not know any? It was like the child knew absolutely nothing of his parent's past, and that was really all she could test him on. The DNA tests had already proved that he was biologically Lily and James's child, and the wizardry version was 100% accurate – it would pick up a fake in a second. However, his medical, both physical and psychological, tests were not nearly as encouraging. Aside form the various injuries he had had when he arrived, the boy also suffered from anemia, malnutrition, and starvation, although it was obvious that he had been forced to experience them in a harsher degree for a longer amount of time in the past. Plus, there were burns and various scars that he had obviously received many years early, and form the way they were seen, the nurse could only fear that he had been horribly abused as a child. Not to mention there seemed to be neural trauma, and she couldn't quite pinpoint the cause. Yet, it was his psychological tests that were the most disturbing. For a sixteen-year-old boy, his mind was horribly overloaded. He was greatly stressed, and obviously traumatized from events that she could only begin to imagine. A psychiatrist (for they did have them in the magical world, and they were every bit as frustrating as those in the muggle world) would probably grow rich working through all of this child's problems, and yet after hearing them would probably have to see a psychiatrist as well.

"What do you know?" She asked, trying her hardest to keep her emotions under control.

"Umm, li-little things." Harry responded, trying to think about how to describe things. "I know my mother had a sister. Her name is Petunia, and she married Vernon Dursley, and they have a child – Dudley."

"Two children," Pomfrey corrected without thinking. "They also had a daughter – Margaret."

"Really?" Harry was surprised, and a bit disgusted. It was bad enough having one spoiled Dursley in the world, did there have to be another? Although, he mused, maybe through some form of luck she had turned out nice. Not likely, but better then thinking the worst of her right away.

"Yes, I heard about it myself." The nurse eyed the boy oddly, but let it slide – the child may have not existed in his world, so she couldn't expect him to know. "Do you know who the Marauders were?"

"James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and" making a small face while he said it "Peter Pettigrew."

"Good, now we are getting somewhere. What were they're animagus forms?"

Harry shot her a shocked look – saying he was surprised that she knew was an understatement. He was absolutely floored.

"Umm, James Potter became a stag – Prongs." Madame Pomfrey smiled and nodded, and Harry let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. She hadn't been surprised, so obviously knew it all. "Sirius Black was a dog – Padfoot, and Peter Pettigrew was a rat – Wormtail."

"What about Remus Lupin?"

"He's a werewolf, and so he didn't have an animagus form. He did however have a nickname – Moony."

"Excellent. Now, what year did your parents start Hogwarts?"

"I don't know." Harry replied, a bit embarrassed. These were things that he should know, but he had never remembered to ask.

Madame Pomfrey sighed wearily. This was going to be a long day.

Harry felt like he was flying, high above the land and trees. However, there wasn't a broomstick in sight.

He knew what type of dream this was, he'd had them before. The number had grown increasingly over the summer, but that made sense. If Voldemort was out in the open, why not take advantage and attack?

Harry knew that he should have worked harder on Occlumancy. That would have stopped these dreams, and prevented Voldemort from ever toying with his mind again. Especially since Harry knew he could never get useful information from them again, no more dates of attack or anything like that – Voldemort knew about the connection, and made Harry only see the attack itself, not what led up to it.

He couldn't see where he was – none of the land looked familiar, although that was understandable, since he had never seen much of the country anyhow. There was a village up ahead, and Harry knew in the pit of his stomach that that was where he was headed.

The lights were on in one of the houses, the one Harry was being moved steadily towards. He could hear the screams growing ever louder, children's cries among them. It made him sick, but he couldn't do anything.

None of the lights were on in the surrounding houses; all occupants appeared to still be asleep. _Must be a modified silencing spell_, Harry figured miserably.

Harry's feet finally touched the ground less then a metre from the front door, and although he was finally permitted to walk, a force still pushed him forward, making him enter the home in front of him.

Everyone in the house seemed to be crowded in the living room. Which made sense – Voldemort liked for his victims to watch others suffer, and feel that they were trapped with no means of escape. It wasn't a large party of Death Eaters accompanying him tonight – just five, although more could be searching.

Harry's eyes were beginning to scan the room when the waves of unrelenting pain began to course through his body. It was the result of the Cruciatus curse being directed at one of the victims. A girl somewhere around his age, he figured judging from her screams.

Harry collapsed to the floor in pain. His body thrashed wildly until the curse was finally lifted, and even then he lay on the floor, panting and desperately wishing to awake. It wasn't until he heard another scream – this time filled with terror and fear, not pain – that he pulled himself off the floor.

When he got a look at the victim, Harry immediately felt like he was going to be sick. The girl was laying on the floor, her mother trying in vain to wake her. Harry could tell from where he stood that she was dead – he'd seen lifeless bodies often enough to know. However, that wasn't what had sickened him. It was who she was.

Harry knew that girl. Remembered her from the Sorting, from their classes.

It was Susan Bones.

There was the shout of one more curse, straight from Voldemort himself, but Harry awoke before he could witness it.

And he wasn't alone.

"Bloody hell, boy, are you alright?" He knew that voice, although it was more tired. _Must be close to the full moon_, he reasoned.

"Remus?" Harry asked weakly, his voice raw from screaming. His eyes were still shut – the after affects of one of these dreams were never pleasant.

Remus gasped, and although Harry couldn't see him, he had taken a step back. "How did you know my–"

"Out of the way." Pomfrey said, cutting off Remus. The nurse came to Harry's bedside and began casting various spells to get his status. After a few minutes, Harry dared to open his eyes, and found the nurse staring at words that were being spelled out in the air above him. Harry couldn't read what the words said, but, although the image was blurry, the nurse's face betrayed something was wrong.

"What happened to you?" She finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper. He'd never seen Madame Pomfrey act in such a way – it was quite unnerving.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, very confused and very tired.

"There are traces of the Cruciatus curse in your body. Yet, you've been lying right here."

"It was just one of my dreams." Harry said, his voice displaying his displeasure at them. "I get them often enough, there's nothing you can do." Harry's eyes suddenly went wide, as if just remembering an important detail he had unfortunately forgot, and he shot into a sitting position. "Susan Bones! I almost forgot! You have to send someone to her house – the Death Eaters are there – her mother could still be alive!"

"Calm down, child." The nurse said, pushing Harry back so that he was lying down. "You need rest. It was just a dream."

"No, no it wasn't. I see – I see what Voldemort does," there were gasps of surprise from the two occupants. "And I just saw him kill Susan Bones – someone has to go to her house right away. Someone could still be alive, and you could catch some of the Death Eaters."

"That's impossible." Remus said, reluctantly moving closer. Harry went to argue, but Remus held up a hand to indicate for him to stop. "Susan Bones was Amelia Bones' daughter." Harry nodded, as Remus paused. "They both, along with the rest of the family, were killed seven years ago. There was no way you could have just seen them die."

"Then what did I see then?" Harry asked, fear tingeing his voice. He knew what he'd seen, and realized just then what was happening.

"It must have been the Bones family of your world." Remus said. "After all that's happened, I wouldn't be surprised if this was true. I don't know how you can see what Voldemort does, although judging from the state of your scar," Harry reached up and felt it, then hissed in pain – it was raw and red, he was sure, "I'd say it has something to do with that."

_Great,_ Harry thought, his mind filling with frustration, _not only can I see what Voldemort's doing, but now I can't send anyone to help._

The nurse saw Harry's look of despair that was being written upon his face, and turned to Remus. "Best go fetch-"

"Already going," he said, before she could finish. Harry heard his steps leaving the ward, and couldn't help but wonder who he'd gone after. Although, he wasn't given much time to mull it over, as Madame Pomfrey took charge in the way Harry always remembered.

"Here, drink this." Madame Pomfrey said, shoving a smoking blue potion into Harry's hands. He eyed it cautiously. "It will heal you of the after effects of the Cruciatus curse." Harry still looked at it cautiously – it looked far too much like one of Snape's potions to set him at ease.

"It won't kill you." Madame Pomfrey said, impatience evident. Seeing Harry make no effort to drink it, she tipped it back against his mouth and forced him to swallow.

Harry felt like gagging, but of course did not. He would not want to offend the nurse, especially since she'd be the one taking care of his food for a while, and it would be far too easy for her to slip a fever-inducing potion into his soup.

Madame Pomfrey stood there for another minute, then went back to looking over the various output from the scans. Harry considered going back to sleep, but before he could someone arrived at the ward's door. He couldn't see them clearly, but Madame Pomfrey still left him to speak with him, making the scans disappear at the same time.

There was hushed speaking before Madame Pomfrey walked away and into her office, and two figures began walking towards him.

Harry couldn't see who they were, although the one looked like Remus again. _Must have fetched who he was supposed to_, Harry thought, as he reached for his glasses to see them clearly.__

"No, no." Harry heard a woman's voice say. His hand was batted away as the woman reached for his glasses. She seemed familiar, although all he could make out was the red hair. One of the Weasleys, maybe? The hard plastic frame of the glasses was set on his face before he could ponder this any further.

Harry had to blink a few times to get used to how sharp things were appearing. The curtains were still drawn, and he was right – one of the people had been Remus, who was now sitting in the chair next to his bed. However, when he turned to see whom the woman was, he screamed.

Actually, it wasn't much of a scream. His throat was to dry and sore is muster enough sound for one, and it ended up turning into a dry cough.

Green Eyes. Bright green eyes.

She looked almost exactly like his mother in the pictures. Sure, she had a few wrinkles, and her eyes weren't as bubbly and joyful, but that could be expected. Everyone else looked older, she would to. That is, if she was still alive. Yet, she was sitting there, right in front of him, and this didn't feel like a dream. This had to be some sort of alternate universe. Hermione would be shocked – she had quite confidently told him that there was no such thing as alternate universes. Yet, if this was all real, he had proof looking right at him.

"Shhh, you shouldn't scream like that," the woman said to him. Remus was still sitting calmly, so apparently he wasn't concerned, although his face appeared a bit tense.

"Where am I?" Harry finally asked, eyeing both Remus and 'Lily', keeping track of their movements. He wasn't a fool; he knew he had to be careful. This could all be some sort of elaborate trap.

"The hospital wing, at Hogwarts." Remus said, eyeing Harry. He wasn't going to risk Harry trying anything. "Surely you know that. I'm sure your…dimension has one of these too."

Harry nodded. "So, I was right. Dumbledore did send me to an alternate dimension?"

"Didn't you know?" 'Lily' asked. Harry paused, and then slowly shook his head, his eyes watching her curiously. He had supposed, although had not been sure. "Oh, this must be awful for you. You must be so confused."

Yah. Harry thought. I suppose confused works. "Are you my mother?" Harry suddenly blurted out to end the moments silence after 'Lily''s comment.

"I think so." Lily said slowly. Remus wouldn't take his eyes off Harry, and Harry figured that he must also have his hand wrapped around his wand just in case. "My name is Lily Potter." Harry's heart jumped – this was his mother! He'd always wanted to meet her, and if she lived, that meant his Dad did too. "But I don't have a son named Harry."

Harry felt his hopes shatter. She wasn't really his mother – he had never even been born. Her last name proved that she had married his father, but obviously something had happened after that. "Does that mean that my father, umm… James, is dead?" Harry asked, his voice shaking as he said this.

Lily's eyes teared as she nodded, and Remus' seemed to have gained a cold face of fury. Harry himself felt sad, although he knew that he had no reason to be. After all, he had never known his father, so it wasn't like anything had changed in that way.

"Didn't James die in your world too?" Remus asked.

Harry nodded. "About a year after I was born." He didn't want them to know that his mother had died then too, or why.

"Did he die because of me?" Lily asked in a whisper, her voice shaking much like Harry's had earlier.

Harry was shocked at this question. Why would his father die because of her? Both his parent's deaths had been his fault; Voldemort had killed them to get at him.

"No, of course not." Harry said, his shocked expression on his face. "You didn't have anything to do with it!" Remus looked a bit surprised, then thankful. That baffled Harry – did Remus think that Lily would blame herself? Actually, Harry noticed, Lily herself looked surprised. Her eyes held pain, that was evident, but now they were tinged with curiosity as well. Both were acting so strange, and Harry felt himself becoming lost, and a bit mad. There was something being kept from him, and obviously something huge, to make them act so odd.

"Um, what's the date?" Harry asked, desperately resisting asking about whatever was being kept from him. He knew that whatever it was, it probably wasn't something that they wanted to discuss right now, and any other topic would be welcome, since it would break the uncomfortable silence.

Remus looked at him curiously, obviously expecting him to press the issue, or at least not change it to such a different topic. However, he was also glad – he didn't exactly feel like opening up that particular can of worms.

"August tenth, 1996." Lily answered. "Why?"

"Just wanted to know." Harry replied, his mind meanwhile making quick calculations. It was August the second when the Death Eaters had captured him, so that left eight days unaccounted for. Harry was sure that Voldemort had tried to kill him on that first day, since Voldemort wouldn't have wanted there to be any chance of him escaping or being rescued, and so that would have been when he transported himself. So, provided there hadn't been any days lost or gained when he jumped to this alternate world, he had spent the last seven days unconscious in the hospital wing. Harry couldn't help but find a bit of pride in that – seven days mostly unconscious was a new record for him.

A heavy silence set over them after that. They all looked like they had questions that they desperately wanted to ask, but knew that now wasn't the best time. Finally, Harry said, "What's going to happen to me? Here, I mean." It was an open enough topic, and they could easily talk about it for a while.

"Well, if you are really who you say you are, and who we think you are, and we will find out, then you're definitely in danger, since Voldemort will come after you." Lily said, her face taking on a more serious look, like a teacher giving a class instruction. "So we'll have to create a disguise for you, probably a different eye color at least. Those green eyes would put you in horrible danger; they would have him after you in a second. And maybe a new name, since any link to us could make things even worse."

"Lily," Remus said, preventing her from saying anything else. "The boy is already in danger. The letter said how Voldemort had been after him for years, so he probably is experienced with the threats and risks. Besides, it won't stay hidden forever, and you will have to tell _him_ soon. I don't mean declare that he's your son, or say where he came from, but it can't make it any worse if you say that he's a member of James's family. Or yours even, although the family history would be trickier."

Harry wanted to ask why it would be trickier for him to be a member of Lily's family, but she cut him off by saying "No, not mine. He knows who everyone is – he would see right through it in no time. We'll leave his name as Harry Potter, and just say that he is a long-lost cousin or whatever. I know James said that one of his cousins had run away some years ago for something or other, and then if anyone demands a link, we can just say that he was his son. No one would know the difference."

"We need to decide on the looks then. We should change the hair color, but I don't think we need to worry about the style. I know James said once that the uncontrollably messy hair was one of the more annoying Potter traits."

"His green eyes get changed first. If we leave them, we might as well send Voldemort a copy of his letter and a recent photo."

"Wait a minute." Harry said. It had been like watching a tennis match, with those two talking back and forth. "What's wrong with my eyes? I mean, I know they aren't very common, but…"

"It's not so much green eyes that aren't common. It's _your_ green eyes, Lily's green eyes, that are rare, in fact I only know of two people, other then Lily, to ever have had eyes like that, and they were both related to her."

Lily shot him a glare after that, and Remus blushed scarlet, a guilty look plastered onto his face. He looked like he was about to apologize before Lily shook her head, signaling for him to stop. Whatever it was he was going to say they didn't want said in front of Harry. He felt a bit annoyed at this, but curious at the same time. Who were the two other people?

"Well, besides that, you will be starting sixth year at Hogwarts in the fall with the rest of the students." Lily said, pressing on. "Unless, of course, there are any problems. I believe we are going to have you sorted again, just to be sure, although judging by what was in your trunk, you were a Gryffindor. Correct?" Harry nodded. "So that is where you will probably end up, but we should double check. In the mean time, after you have a clean bill of health, you will probably live in my flat. It's here at Hogwarts, so you won't be far, and I have a few guest rooms. Not to mention, you would have someone fairly familiar ease you into life here."

Harry just smiled, and nodded again. He figured that he would have to tell them at some point what had happened that Halloween, but what they didn't know couldn't hurt them. Besides, this meant he would have a chance to get to know his Mum. _No._ Harry's brain harshly corrected. _She's not your mother. Your mother died, this is just someone who she could have been. All that's the same is their past._

_Better then nothing, _Harry thought, and let his mind relax into a state of calm as Remus and Lily continued on.

* * *

Well, on to the next one now!!!


	5. Chapter 4

The Grass Isn't Always Greener Chapter 4 

_"__Sirens are screaming and the fires are howling_

_Way down in the valley tonight_

_There's a man in the shadows with a gun in his eye_

_And a blade shining oh so bright_

_There's evil in the air and there's thunder in the sky_

_And a killer's on the bloodshot streets_

_Oh and down in the tunnel where the deadly are rising_

_Oh I swear I saw a young boy_

_Down in the gutter_

He was starting to foam in the heat" 

- "Bat Out of Hell" - Meatloaf

* * *

Harry slipped silently down the hall, his footsteps making no sound as they impacted with the stone. His sneaking abilities he knew were only as good as they were because of the Dursleys, and if he hadn't had to develop them to keep from starving he would probably thank them. This skill was incredibly useful when Harry wanted to avoid contact with anyone, which was what he wanted right now.

It had been over a week since his first encounter with Lily and Remus in the hospital wing. He hadn't moved into Lily's quarters yet; Madame Pomfrey still wanted him under observation. She said that he had been hurt worse then most Aurors ever were, at least when they lived. Even Harry recognized that from the injuries he had had upon arrival, he never should have lived past that first day, especially in his malnourished state.

He had learned a fair bit about this new world in that time. Unfortunately, Harry didn't know enough about the past of his world to figure out just when they had become different, although he betted it was the mission that his father had apparently gone on. No one would say anything about James, and all Remus would tell him was that he had disappeared while on reconnaissance in June, and hadn't shown up until July of 1980.

After that, things seemed to go downhill. Voldemort had never perished, instead he was still very much alive, and his name was marked with deaths totaling well into the millions. It was scary to think that just that many people had died in the past years, even more so because Harry knew that some of them were bound to have been his classmates from his world. Dumbledore had died nearly 7 years before, while defending a large group of students from Death Eaters in Hogsmeade. Since then, all Hogsmeade weekends had been cancelled, and security around Hogwarts had tightened even more. Harry was surprised that Voldemort hadn't attempted an attack on Hogwarts yet, but he knew that special wards had been added, which unfortunately resulted in the petrification of quite a few Slytherin's, and even some Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and a Gryffindor, who had made the mistake of joining the Death Eaters while still at school.

The Marauder's lives weren't that different from what Harry had imagined they could have been, with the exception of Voldemort. Both Lily and Remus taught at Hogwarts, Lily as the Charms professor (Filtwick had left to help with the war many years ago) and Deputy Head Mistress, and Remus as, of course, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry was a bit excited to learn that Sirius was still alive in this world, and was glad that he could at least talk to him again, although it wouldn't be the same. Still, he would get a chance to apologize. He worked as an Auror, and apparently an amazing one at that. Pettigrew, naturally, was still a traitor. They had discovered him only months after James' death, and he had died while trying to escape when they caught him. Unsurprisingly, Harry wasn't the least bit sad that he was dead – he had seen what he could do, and felt that it was a well deserved punishment.

Lily had finally told him the day before about James. Not his father, but himself. He realized that this was a sign of how much she trusted him – she had kept his existence a secret until it was absolutely definite that Harry posed no risk. Lily hadn't lied when she originally told him that she didn't have a son named Harry – it was completely true. When he had been born, Lily decided to name him James instead. His full title was James Edward Potter, but he was usually referred to as simply Jimmy. She said that he looked nearly identical to Harry himself, except not nearly as skinny and without the lightening bolt scar. It was because of the likeness that Harry now had an elaborate disguise charm placed on him. Remus had remarked that it was like a remix of Lily and James' looks – whereas Harry (and Jimmy) had had Lily's green eyes and James' black hair, Harry now had Lily's chestnut-red hair and James' hazel eyes. Lily had said how she had always wondered what that combination of looks would look like, and Harry had to admit, they didn't look _that_ bad. It was definitely a change, and he couldn't help but think that his hair looked like it was on fire, although it wasn't nearly as orangey-red as the Weasley's hair was. They had left the scar – no one in this world had one, and they could easily pass it off as a souvenir from an accident, which, in all reality, it was.

In turn, Lily, Remus, and the rest had learned quite a bit about Harry's world, although it was a bit of a censored version. They didn't know that Lily had died at the hand of Voldemort, or that the Dursleys had raised Harry. When he started with Voldemort's first downfall, he simply said that the curse had backfired on Voldemort when he had fired Avada Kedavra on Harry. An expression of guilt had clouded Lily's face when he talked about this, but nothing was said. He had then skipped straight to his first year at Hogwarts, for he didn't see the point of bringing up bad memories with the Dursely's, and gave them the summaries of the following years. They had all become rather uncomfortable when Harry explained to them about Tom Riddle and the Chamber of Secrets, and so Harry quickly finished that up and continued. He mentioned Sirius briefly, since it still hurt to talk about him. Both forth and fifth year hadn't been a very comfortable topic for any of the members of the room, Harry included, and quite a few looked like they were going to be sick during Harry's brief account of Voldemort's resurrection. He had left a lot out when he described the end of his fifth year – he didn't want them to know that the entire event was solely his fault, and that if he had just remembered the mirror that Sirius had given him – specifically for something like this – then everything could have been avoided. This fact berated him with ever breath he took, knowing that Sirius didn't have that luxury because of him, and he didn't want to have them hate him as much as he hated himself. Although he deserved it, he deserved every bit of anger and fury.

Harry banished his thoughts as he neared his destination, the Hogwart's library. His curiosity about James had finally consumed him, and knew that the Daily Prophet should have mentioned what happened. Hogwarts had every single issue since the paper's creation archived, and he had immediately planned to come here when Madame Pomfrey gave him permission to take a walk around Hogwarts after lunch. Whatever had happened had been horrible enough that no one would talk about it, and Harry desperately wanted to know what had killed his father here, so this seemed to be the logical solution.

Madame Pince was seated at her desk, with large stacks of books on each side, when Harry entered the library. She didn't even look up as Harry slipped behind a bookcase and made his way towards the archives. The room where they were kept was at the very end of the library, separated by an archway, which took Harry a few minutes to reach, longer then it should have because he was attempting to go silently and unnoticed. He had never actually entered the archives before, and so gasped when he actually stepped into the room.

There were shelves and shelves of scrolls, stretching all the way up to the ceiling (which was very far up). Each row held a year, separated into months by dividers. Every issue of the Daily Prophet was stored here, under various charms to keep them undamaged and unblemished. The only flaw was that if you didn't know the year and month that whatever you were looking for occurred in, you could be looking for weeks. Luckily for Harry, he knew both, and the July 1980 issues weren't too far up.

"Nope, nope, nope." Harry said, as he flicked through the tags attached to each of the scrolls, which read the major headlines of that issue. He knew, he was positive, that his father's death would be front page. Especially since he was an Auror, which Harry had been glad to learn. He had always wondered about his parent's professions.

Near the end of the July issues, Harry found what he had been looking for. Emblazoned on the tag were the words "Missing Auror's Body Found on Clock Tower." Harry was curious, and immediately pulled down the scroll and opened it up on a table. Promptly upon viewing the article, he was forced to swallow the vomit rising in this throat.

This was what had scared them so much. This was what made his mother cry and Remus become furious. Instead of just killing his parents and destroying their lives, he had done this.

It was James. Bloody and beaten. He would have been barely recognizable if not for the hair and the glasses, which had been left on his face. His hands had been bound together and attached to the top of the blood-covered clock face, and his feet were left to dangle. It was easy to see that he was dead, the blood everywhere was proof enough.

**Missing Auror's Body Found on Clock Tower**

_**Body of James Potter, Auror, Finally Uncovered After 6-Week Disappearance**_

_Early this morning, London-goers were greeted with the sight of one of our most prized Aurors hanging attached to Big Ben, the large clock tower in London. The first to spot this were Muggles, who immediately telephoned (the Muggle way of communicating similar to a fire call) their local authorities, which sent men to investigate. The Magical Law Enforcement squad was alerted not long after, and officials quickly arrived to take control of the situation. _

_"I had just stepped out of the underground when I saw him," a middle-aged Muggle woman told us, before she was Obliviated. "It was horrible, and I started to scream. Soon almost everyone joined in; the rest had run towards phones to call for help. I don't know how someone did it, or why. There was blood all over the clock face, and covering the man as well. His clothes were all tattered too; it looked like he had been tortured. And there was this large… thing in the sky. It was a skull, and a snake, all an eerie green colour and floating just above where the man hung. Then all these people started appearing, more coming every minute, and they just appeared out of nowhere. Just poof! Right out of thin air! Most of them ran towards the tower, but quite a few just stayed where they were, screaming and crying. They said horrible things, just plain horrible. Thank God there were no children around."_

_ The man was identified as James Leonardo Potter, who had been missing for a total of five weeks. One of our strongest Aurors, his death has shaken our world hard. His family and friends arrived on the scene just as his body was being brought back down to the ground, and their reactions terrified and saddened everyone. Lily Potter, who is currently near nine months pregnant with the couple's first child, collapsed on the street screaming and crying. A light stunning spell later was applied to safely transport her to St. Mungos. Sirius Black, Potter's partner and another top Auror, began screaming like a manic, and had to be forcibly carried off the scene after he started flinging spells at bystanders. Remus Lupin, a childhood friend, remained fairly composed, and left the scene along with Lily Potter._

_ The body was taken down and transported away fairly quickly, and the blood and Dark Mark, as well as the memories of various Muggles, were gone within the hour. _

_ Albus Dumbledore himself spoke to the world about this tragedy:_

_"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," he says, although he said the real name, "has done this solely to destroy our hope, our morale. We must not let Him win, at this battle or in the war. Mr. Potter's death must not be in vain; we must fight for revenge for his life, and for the lives of the countless others that He has ended. We are only as strong as we are united, we must not let Him weaken our resolve, and we must not be frightened over to His side. That is what He wants from this, and doing so will let Him win. We are strong, we can win, we will win! As long as we stay together, we will defeat him and the Dark side. We, the light, can still triumph!"_

_Dates for the memorial service for James Potter will appear when they are decided. _

_See What This Means for the Aurors, page two; James Potter: Noble Fighter, page five; He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's Worst Acts, page six through nine._

Harry's hands were shaking as he rolled the paper back up. His whole body trembled, and he gripped the table to keep from falling. He had been trying to imagine what Voldemort could have done to get such a horrible reaction from everyone, but no thought had ever come close to this. This had to be the worst thing Voldemort had ever done. He had tortured him, tortured his father, and then hadn't even had the decency to just leave his body somewhere. Instead, he had placed him where even one could see him and become horrified. That is what he wanted, to have everyone terrified.

Harry never heard the footsteps as another walked into the room. He never even noticed his presence until he spoke, startling Harry.

"Figured you come down here sooner or later," the voice said. As Harry gasped, and whipped around to face the newcomer.

* * *

So, what do we think? Good? Bad? Well, review and give your opinion (although flames are not appreciated, and any sent will be used to roast me marshmallows). Many thanks to those who have already reviewed:

volleypickle16

Usakura

Rhanna

pablo5280

ERMonkey, Queen of Insanity 

penny

Ash of Mine (This help answer your question?)

oppositesdistract (thank you for reviewing the other chapters as well!)

Remus Is Mine (many thx for beta-ing)

Sanzosaru

Talamh

Aragorn821

minnie-mae

sami1010220

rose

HarrySlytherinson

Siriuslyfun19212

Mars

Chels (many thx for beta-ing, but naughty girl – u didn't review! Lol, jk – no worries if ur too busy.)

Remember, try to review after the chapter – it's quite nice to know who's reading the stories! I hope I got everybuddy – terribly sorry if I didn't, hotmail is a lil mussed (yes, I mean 'mussed' not 'messed' – 'muss' is quite a fun word) up. Anywayz, summer vacation starts in two weeks (yay!!!!) so hopefully I'll be able to posting more often!

Oh, now I must ask you – I saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (twice on June 4th!!!), and me and my friend noticed that Remus seemed to be speaking of Lily rather…fondly with romantic music playing in the background. Did Lily and Remus have a relationship we don't know about? And what about that picture on his bedside table – everybuddy says its Lily and James, but James has dark hair, not light brown. Its ponderable…

Anywayz, Talk to y'all next time!!!


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